INLAND EMPIRE – (INT) – Wage earners and employers are sizing up what 2013 is likely to bring.

One thing is for sure. Social Security taxes are going up after Congress declined to extend the 2 percent temporary reduction. That means workers will take home between $300 and $1200 less this year.

For the jobless, unemployment benefits remain in place.

On a broader front, there are signs of an improving economy. That starts with the housing bust that started the recession. Cal State San Bernardino Professor of Economics Tom Pierce says “Generally, we’ve hit bottom in the local housing market and things are starting to improve, but ever so slightly.”

The Inland Empire’s unemployment rate has dipped to the lowest in 4-years, but is the highest of any major metropolitan area in the country.

Story Date: January 9, 2013